Kavli Affiliate: Feng Wang
| First 5 Authors: Chengqing Xu, Lixin He, Wanchen Tao, Xiaosong Zhu, Feng Wang
| Summary:
Ultrashort laser pulses carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) have become
essential tools in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) studies, particularly
for investigating strong-field light-matter interactions. However, controlling
and generating ultrashort vortex pulses presents significant challenges, since
their broad spectral content complicates manipulation with conventional optical
elements, while the high peak power inherent in short-duration pulses risks
damaging optical components. Here, we introduce a novel method for generating
and controlling broadband ultrashort vortex beams by exploiting the
non-adiabatic alignment of linear gas-phase molecules induced by vector beams.
The interaction between the vector beam and the gas-phase molecules results in
spatially varying polarizability, imparting a phase modulation to a probe
laser. This process effectively creates a tunable “molecular waveplate” that
adapts naturally to a broad spectral range. By leveraging this approach, we can
generate ultrashort vortex pulses across a wide range of wavelengths. Under
optimized gas pressure and interaction length conditions, this method allows
for highly efficient conversion of circularly polarized light into the desired
OAM pulse, thus enabling the generation of few-cycle, high-intensity vortex
beams. This molecular waveplate, which overcomes the limitations imposed by
conventional optical elements, opens up new possibilities for exploring
strong-field physics, ultrafast science, and other applications that require
high-intensity vortex beams.
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